1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to processing data, in particular, to generating simulated responses of a material to input. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for simulating responses of a material to input using a model.
2. Background
Structural health monitoring techniques have been developed and used to monitor materials and structures. These techniques often build the health monitoring systems into structures. These health monitoring systems may be used to determine whether changes have occurred to these materials and structures over time. Sudden changes in environments, such as electromagnetic effects, mechanical stresses, and other environmental effects may affect the integrity of various materials and structures over time. By having health monitoring systems built in to or associated with the structures to monitor the structures during use, appropriate measures and responses may be taken to prevent catastrophic failures and may prolong the life span of these structures.
Monitoring of structures may include various non-destructive elevation methods, such as ultrasonic testing or x-ray testing. Ultrasonic testing uses contact-based transducers to mechanically scan a structure. These distributed sensors and actuators may be surface mounted on the structure or even embedded in the structure to generate and propagate control of diagnostic signals into the structure being monitored.
A structural health monitoring system is based on using a transmitter and a sensor configuration to transmit waveforms at various frequency ranges and acquire data from the responses. Oftentimes, transducers may function both as a transmitter and a sensor.
An optimal waveform cannot be determined ahead of time because of the lack of information. As a result, a large number of input waveforms having different frequency ranges are used. Large amounts of data are recorded from the responses to prevent missing any information that may be needed. The need to use input waveforms or signals at different frequencies occurs because many parameters are present for optimization. For examples, these parameters include driving frequency, time duration, number of cycles, window function for amplitude modulation, and other factors.
Further, in a structural health monitoring system, different processes may be executing that focus on different structural and damaged properties. These different processes may require multiple sets of input signals to obtain the responses or data needed by the different processes.
When a structure is first manufactured or produced, a baseline or initial set of data is collected for use in future comparisons. This baseline or initial set of data is a set of responses collected for different frequency ranges for use in future comparisons. This initial set of data assumes that the structure is in a desired condition without any defects that may cause failures.
All of the response data collected by the different input signals are saved in the database. By having to initially input signals at various frequency ranges, in addition to replicating frequency ranges for other parameters, the amount of data collected is large and takes up a considerable amount of space in a structural health monitoring system.
Therefore, it would be desirable to reduce the amount of data that has to be saved for a structural health monitoring system.